LiFePO4 Safety
You must have heard that LiFePO4 (LFP) is the cheapest and safest battery available in the market. Well there are many things that make LFP battery safe. Here in this article, we will go deep in some technicalities regarding LFP structure. We will try to explain them in the simplest way possible.
Basically, if you compare LFP battery with lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) battery, the Fe-P-O bond present in LFP battery is stronger than Co-O bond. So Fe-P-O bond can withstand short-circuiting and overheating better than Co-O bond. This bond will break only in the extreme conditions. So when you are using LFP battery, you are using a battery which is intrinsically safe. Generally, this breakdown will occur at 800 degree Celsius. Basically what happens is, at breakdown the bond stability reduces and increases the possibility of thermal runaway. These properties make LFP batteries safer than LCO batteries.
In LCO battery, at breakdown lithium migrates out of the cathode cell resulting in non-linear expansion of the cell. This literally affects the structural stability of the cell and thus the battery. On the other hand, in LFP, lithium does not remain in the cell during breakdown. So naturally, structural stability of LFP battery is better as compared to LCO battery.
Thus, your LFP battery is safe in every way possible!
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